Hame-fastener.



E. J. JONES. HAME FASTENER, APPLICATION FILED JUNE 5, 1909.

Patented May 17, 1910.

, 1 f... f |||l|l||enl- G atkins/q N 1T 'il'- ERNEST J'. JONES, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

HAlVIE-FASTENER.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known thatI I, ERNEsT J. JONES, a citizen of the United States, residing at Baltimore, in the State of Maryland, have invented certain new and useful improvements in Haine-Fasteners, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to haine-fasteners, and the objects thereof are to provide a device of the character described which when applied to the ends of a hame will preclude any possibility of the latter becoming accidentally disconnected; to provide a hamefastener in which the locking action of its constituents is increased proportionately to the amount of stress exerted thereon; to provide an operating lever which will serve the dual function of assisting in the manipulation of the connecting members and as an additional means for preventing the separation of the ends of the. hame, to devise a llame-fastener which is adjustable according to the variance in contour of a horses neck; to insure a means for expeditiously discon- Ynecting the haine-fastener; and to otherwise arrange and construct the component parts thereof so that the same may be manufactured and sold at a minimum cost and adapted generally for the purpose for which it is devised.

To the accomplishment of the recited objects and others coordinate therewith, the preferred embodiment of my invention resides in that construction and arrangement of parts hereinafter described, illustrated in the accompanying' drawings, and embraced within `the scope of the appended claims.

In said drawings Figure 1 is a side elevation of the hame-fastener embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a similar view showing one of the members swung outwardly. Fig. 3 is a top plan view of one of the members, and Fig. 4: is a bottom plan view of the lever.

Similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several views.

Essentially7 my invention comprises in its construction and arrangement members 1 and 2 and a lever 3.

The members 1 and 2 are similar in that their upper extremities form snap hooks, respectively 4designated by the numerals 4L and 5, and in other respects these members differ. The lower extremity of member 1 is bifurcated and the parallel portions constituting the bifurcation are equipped with a plu- Speecaton of Letters Patent.

Application filed .Tune 5, 1909.

Patented May 17, 1910.

Serial No. 5OG,289.

rality of notches 7, which .are disposed in alinement in such manner as to provide a rack. rlhe other member 2 is characterized by a curvilinear lower terminal 8, the terminal portion of which is Hattened and otherwise rabbeted, as at. 9, and suitably apertured to receive the pin 10 when said flattened portion is positioned intermediate the bifurcated end 11 of the lever 3, the said pin manifestly also extending through the bifurcated terminal of the lever 3 so as to insure a pivotal connection for these parts.

The lever 3, near its hinged end, has a lug or projection 12 extending from diametrically opposite sides, each of said projections having a knob 13 which is designed to prevent lat-eral play or displacement of said lever when the projections 12 occupy their normal positions in the notches 7 of the member 1. The enlarged upper terminal le of the'lever 3 is reversely bent and is provided with a hook-like recess 15, the latter being designed for engagement with the link 16, pivoted to and depending from the hooked end of member 2, the underneath surface of which is flattened, as at 17, and is adapted to normally lie contiguous the opposed surface of lever 3.

In practice, the fastener occupies substantially the position with respect to the hame, as shown in Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawings. Owing to the fact that the connecting point of the member 2 and the lever 3 is below the axis formed by the lugs or trunnions 12, the rack of member 1 and the correlative disposition of the lower terminal of member 2, the stressl which is exerted on the snap hooks 4C and 5 will cause the angularly deflected portion 14 of the lever 3 to engage the flattened portion 17 of the snap hook 5 and in this manner create a locking means, the eiiiciency of which is increased according to the increment of the pull on the snap hooks 11 and 5. While ordinarily this locking means answers the purpose, if for any reason the pull on members t and 5 is not sutiicient to produce the locking connection, the lever 3 will gravitate until it contacts with the link 16, whereby the latter engages the hook-like recess 15, and in a sense, automatically locks and precludes any possibility of the parts becoming separated. It will also be noted that the maximum latitude of movement results from such an assemblage of part-s. When it is desired to attach or detach the members 1 and 2, to

or from, the ends of the haine this operation may be secured with facility. As will be found upon inspection of Fig. 2 of the drawings, the member 2 is distended a suitable distance by the simple operation of lowering or pulling down upon the lever 3. Other advantages may be assigned to this feature, among which it will be well to bear in mind, the fact that the member l, and member 2 and lever 8, which will be considered as an entirety, may be readily disconnected when the occasion so requires.

What- I claim is A haine-fastener comprising a pairof members and a lever, the upper extremities of said members constituting snap hooks, the lower terminal of one member having a rack, said lever being provided with trunnions for engagement with said rack and pivotally connected to the lower terminal of the other` member at a point below said trunnions, whereby the upper terminals of the last mentioned member and the lever are normally held in engagement with each other7 but adapted to become disengaged when the pull on said members is released, said lever having a hook-like recess at its upper end, and the end or' the hooked portion of the last mentioned member having a pivoted link which surrounds the upper end of said lever and is adapted to enter said recess when said member and lever become disengaged.

In testimony whereof I ailix my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

ERNEST J. JoNEs.

litnesses MAURICE D. VALLER, W. ASHBIE HAWKINS. 

